| Piper aduncum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Piperaceae |
| Genus: | Piper |
| Species: | P. aduncum |
| Binomial name | |
| Piper aduncum | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Piper aduncum, thespiked pepper,matico,hierba del soldado,achotlín,cordoncillo,higuillo orhiguillo de hoja menuda,[3] is a flowering plant in the familyPiperaceae. Like many species in thefamily, the matico tree has a peppery odor. It grows wild on the coasts and in the forests ofCentral andSouth America and in theInterandean Valleys, up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft)above sea level.
Matico is a tropical,evergreen,shrubby tree that grows to the height of 6 to 7 meters (20 to 23 ft) withlance-shaped leaves that are 12 to 20 centimetres (4+1⁄2 to 8 inches) long. Its fruit is a smalldrupe with black seeds.
According to legends, the plant was discovered on the part of Europeans by a wounded Spanish soldier named Matico. The natives had been using it before the arrival of Europeans,[2] and Matico learned, presumably from the local tribes, that applying the leaves to his wounds stopped bleeding. It began to be called "matico" or "soldier's herb". It was introduced into the practice of medicine in the United States and Europe by a Liverpool physician in 1839 as astyptic andastringent for wounds.[2]
Piper aduncum was described byCarl Linnaeus and published inSpecies Plantarum 1: 29. 1753.[4]
It is native to Southern Mexico, theCaribbean, and much of tropicalSouth America. It is grown in tropical Asia,Polynesia, andMelanesia and can even be found inFlorida,Hawaii, andPuerto Rico. In some countries matico is considered as aninvasive weed.[2] In parts ofNew Guinea, although matico is notorious for drying out the soil in the areas where it is invasive; the wood of this plant is nonetheless used by local residents for a myriad of uses such as for fuel and fence posts.[6]
Like many species of the family, this tree has the characteristic smell of pepper. The fruits are used as a condiment and for flavoringcocoa.[7] It is sometimes used as a substitute forlong pepper.
In theAmazon rainforest, many of the native tribes use matico leaves as anantiseptic. InPeru, it was used for stoppinghemorrhages and treatingulcers, and in European practice in the treatment of diseases of the genitals andurinary organs, such as those for whichcubeb was often prescribed.[8]
The chemical composition of the essential oil differs depending on the origin, although phenylpropanoiddillapiole is the most cited component, followed bymyristicin, 1,8-cineole and β-ocimene.[9][10] The essential oil ofP. aduncum was considered a promising insecticide, acaricide and antiparasitic in a 2021 review.[10]
